We are becoming too negative about our own country: Bharti Group chairman Sunil Mittal

Bharti group Chairman Sunil Mittal has lamented growing criticism about India within the country, warning it could be counter-productive for the country at a time it is being universally feted as one of the main growth engines of the global economy.

"I am worried that we are becoming too negative about our own country. We need to celebrate some of the big successes that are coming out, be it in the corporate world and the small successes that we are seeing in the hinterland," Mittal told reporters at the World Economic Forum underway at Davos.

The past few months have seen the emergence of terms such as governance deficit, policy paralysis and rent seeking in domestic newspaper headlines, triggered by a wave of corruption scandals that have engulfed the government and resulted in a standoff with the opposition that has disrupted parliament.

Upset by the rampant corruption, a group of eminent citizens wrote an open letter to the country's leaders last week saying lack of governance had affected every sphere of national activity.

Mittal said while he shared some of the concerns expressed in that letter, there was a danger it was dominating the discourse.

"I am concerned about the negativity that is developing. India is a positive story today. It's growing at 9%. It's a $1 trillion economy...We need to keep our positivity intact," Mittal said.

India, with its highly visible "India Inclusive" campaign, is one of the key themes at this year's Davos meeting and there had been concerns that the issue of corruption could disrupt the positive story that the country has sought to project.

Mittal said the issue of policy paralysis or concerns about governance did not figure prominently at all in his interactions with other business leaders at the WEF.

He also said that while there were valid concerns that India was not reforming fast enough, not too many reforms items were pending. "We have not seen reform phase II," he said.

Mittal, one of the co-chairs of the India Inclusive campaign at Davos this year, also offered high praise for the country's new telecom minister Kapil Sibal, who was parachuted into the ministry following the ouster of his predecessor A. Raja last November amid criticism he sold off telecom spectrum too cheaply and caused a huge loss to the government.

"In the new minister, we have a fine lawyer who is articulate and of impeccable integrity. We need to give him time. We are confident now that we have a minister who has good idea of the issues on the table," Mittal said.

Sibal, who is working on a new telecom policy slated for release later this year, has in recent weeks challenged the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)'s report on the 2G spectrum scam, saying the figure of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore is utterly erroneous.

Mittal said while the new policy needed to focus on stability, "The shifts in regulatory regimes needs to be avoided and that is what we need from the new telecom policy."